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A look at the Week that Was in WVU Rifle
January 22, 2016 12:08 PM | Rifle
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With 17 national championships to its name, including three straight titles from 2013-15, the No. 1-ranked West Virginia University rifle team has set the nation-wide standard for success. This year is no different, as the Mountaineers continue to perform at a high level day-in and day-out, with at least one Mountaineer shooting a personal best in smallbore and air rifle every match this season.
Most recently, West Virginia (9-0, 5-0 GARC) displayed two record-setting performances against No. 5 Alaska-Fairbanks (Jan. 12) and No. 15 Akron (Jan. 17) at the WVU Rifle Range. The Mountaineers set an NCAA record with an aggregate score of 4724 to beat the Nanooks, 4724-4697. West Virginia then shot 16 points better in its 4740-4621 victory over Great American Rifle Conference (GARC) foe No. 15 Akron, breaking the NCAA record for the second time in five days.
The previous NCAA record was set by the Mountaineers four years ago, as they shot a 4720 aggregate total against Mississippi, on Nov. 9, 2012.
Ten-year coach Jon Hammond sat down to discuss the team’s record-setting victories against Alaska-Fairbanks and Akron, as well as his expectations for the team moving forward.
After shooting an NCAA record of 4724 against No. 5 Alaska-Fairbanks, was it even imaginable for the team to break its own record just five days later against No. 15 Akron for an aggregate total of 4740?
Coach Jon Hammond: We don’t look at scores a whole lot. I have seen a lot of scoring system changes throughout my 10 years of coaching. I think it was almost four years ago when the first team broke 4700. That was fairly ground breaking. For a long time, our previous national record of 4720 looked like it would be pretty hard to beat. No one has really come close to breaking that mark over the last few years, including this team. It was definitely a break through when we broke it against Alaska-Fairbanks last week. We broke the 4720 barrier, and then I think a lot of people didn’t expect the 4730 barrier to be broken for a very long time. We probably didn’t think it was possible to go and shoot a 4740 five days later, but it just shows what can be done when a team is really focused on the task at hand.
The team shot an NCAA-record score of 4740 out of 4800 against No. 15 Akron, with only 60 shots outside the perfect 10 mark. What does that mean and how huge is that accomplishment for this team?
JH: Our total team score is made up of eight individual scores, four for air rifle and four for smallbore. Essentially, the team only lost 60 points. They averaged seven and a half points for each gun. To average a 593 out of 600 in air rifle and smallbore is incredible. A 593 mark is a great All-America score in air rifle, and it is a pretty much unheard in smallbore. Our air rifle team score was higher than smallbore, but they are shooting a perfect 10-out-of-10 for the vast majority of the shots they take. In order to do that, you have to be good at your craft and what you do. You have to be incredibly disciplined and patient to have scores like that all in the same day by the same team. It is incredibly rare to have that.
Two NCAA records in five days. What does that say about the focus and drive of this team?
JH: It says a lot about the work that they have put in this year. Obviously, they have a tremendous drive as a team. They have a really high drive to be the best team that they can be. They are working hard individually. As far as being team oriented, this team is as good as I’ve seen. They are working hard at that, and focus comes with that as well. They are super focused on what they have to do each day and what they have to do to in order to get better as a team. We will continue to keep working on those things.
Moving forward, how does the team build off last week’s performances?
JH: It sounds simple, but we have to keep doing what we have been doing. We don’t want to get distracted. We don’t want to start letting expectations dictate anything. We have to manage our own expectations. We have to continue to work hard, and we have to continue to focus on the team. We have to focus on what we are doing day-to-day. Those are the things that got us to where we are right now. While it was a great match and a great moment to reflect on, the moment is gone. Our focus is on the next match. I have already stressed to the team that that’s finished. We are not going to bask in any glory or think about it. We have a long way to go this season with a lot of matches ahead of us. We have to go match-by-match, and we are looking forward to the next one.
Shooting nearly close to perfect, what does the team do individually in practice to perfect its techniques?
JH: It’s difficult. They shouldn’t look at the scores so much. They have to look at how they shot the match and the things that they did well. There are times that you can make a few mistakes, but still shoot a 10. For someone to shoot a 598-out-of-600 doesn’t necessarily mean that they shot 58 perfect shots and then two bad shots. There may have been a number of shots in there that they could have improved on. After the match, we focus on our technique and the mental side of the sport. It is very easy to lose focus. They can always strive to do something better, and I think we can to try to make sure that they focus on those things. We want them to keep improving. We don’t want them to think that they shot a perfect score, and that they cannot do much better. That doesn’t really help you with what you are trying to achieve. While it may look like the scores are close to perfect, there are a lot of things for them to learn. There are a lot of things for them to gain from different experiences, so that they can shoot these types of scores in different environments and different ranges. There is a lot for them to learn here.
There is roughly a month until the 2016 GARC Championship. How does the team stay consistent in air rifle and smallbore from here on out?
JH: Consistency is definitely one of the hardest things in our sport. As a team, we have to continue to work hard. I’m sure we will have different people step up and shoot high scores at different matches. For us to be consistent as a team, everyone has to keep working hard on the things that they have to do.
As much as it is an individual sport, how does everyone come together as a team?
JH: It was one of those days where they were all on the same page. They were all very relaxed. Ultimately, it has been a very team-first approach this year. They have all made sacrifices for the team. They all help each other. They all support each other. Our atmosphere has been very good, and that allows people to have good performances more often. The more consistent they are individually, the more likely we are to have good performances in the same day. We have to continue to build the team atmosphere, and we have to continue to build the support network that they have. We have to continue to help each other.
What is special about this team?
JH: I think this team has a great team atmosphere. We have a few less people than last year, and I think that has helped create that team bond. They are all really close with one another. They have taken on board everything that we have put in front of them as a staff. We have excellent leadership from our two team captains, J.P. (Jean-Pierre Lucas) and Meelis (Kiisk). They all work hard. They are all good students and good people. They are all on the same page, and they all work well together.
Jon Hammond NCAA Championship | March 18
Wednesday, March 18
A Conversation with Wren Baker
Monday, December 05
Jon Hammond | Thursday
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Life as a Mountaineer - Jared Eddy
Wednesday, March 24
